MOSCOW (AFP) ― Ousted Bolshoi ballet star Nikolai Tsiskaridze said in graphic court testimony Monday that deep personal rivalries were behind the vicious acid attack against the troupe’s venerable artistic director.One of Russia’s most cherished cultural institutions has been riven by controversy ever since an assailant splashed a mixture of urine and acid in the face of Sergei Filin outside his Moscow apartment block on Jan. 17.The assault nearly blinded the 43-year-old former dancer while fuel

Ravishing tale about two witches of Oz also offers compelling political allegory

Hollywood executives discuss potential for Korean collaboration with U.S. film industry

K-pop superstars TVXQ will be performing at Japan’s Tokyo Dome for the third year in a row. They are scheduled to hold a total of 26 performances for their “2014 Japan Live Tour.”It is the first time foreign artists are holding a concert at Tokyo Dome for three years in succession. TVXQ was also the first foreign group to ever hold a concert at the Tokyo Dome.The duo will kick off the tour at Yokohama Arena on April 22 and move on to 11 different cities in Japan, ending in Osaka Dome on June 18.

Singer and comedian Park Myung-soo will join rap duo Dynamic Duo on the stage at “Countdown Seoul,” a music festival that will kick off on Dec. 31 in Times Square, Yeongdeungpo. The line-up includes Dynamic Duo, Norazo, Jay Park, IDIOTAPE, Rhythm Power, Squatters and more. Park Myung-soo will be performing as a DJ under the name Great Park. “Artists with both skill and popularity will be performing,” a staff member of the festival stated, adding, “We are working to organize a memorable end-of-th

Boy band SHINee is heading to Shanghai to hold the “SHINee Festival Tour,” a concert that will commemorate the group’s 5-year anniversary. On top of preparations for the performances, the group is also preparing a special stage for the concert, which will take place on Nov. 30 in Shanghai Gymnasium. “We are paying a lot of attention to the lighting and musical aspects of the stage,” a representative stated, adding, “We are checking even the smallest detail to make a perfect performance that fans

A group exhibition of young Korean and Chinese artists opened at Songzhuang Art Center in Beijing Saturday, showcasing artwork in diverse mediums and dealing with various topics in contemporary art. The exhibition, held by city-run museums in Seoul and Beijing, presents photographs, installations, video works and drawings by 10 Korean and Chinese artists in their mid-30s to early 40s whose works shed light on their engagement with reality and the society in which they live.“The exhibition aims t

The popular cutesy and energetic girl group Crayon Pop, which took the concept of bobbing around in athletic gear and helmets to a whole new level, is once again finding themselves under netizen fire as a new photo has emerged online raising the question of whether or not Crayon Pop copied its concept from a J-pop girl group. Earlier this August a number of netizens brought to light the strikingly similar stage costuming concept of Crayon Pop and Japanese girl group Momoiro Clover Z. Side-by-sid

Korean animator Yeon Sang-ho’s latest film “The Fake” won Best Animated Film Award at Festival Internacional de Cide de Gijon, an annual international film festival held in Gijon, Spain.The film, the second feature-length work by Yeon, is a powerful tale of truth and deception, taking place in a rural Korean town on the verge of being flooded. It competed against 10 films in the section, and shared the prize with American animator Bill Plympton’s “Cheatin.”The movie’s plot develops as the villag

 South Korean actress Han Ye-seul and YG Entertainment’s music producer Teddy admitted on Monday that they are in a relationship.“Teddy and Han Ye-seul have been dating for about six months,” YG Entertainment acknowledged. It said those who are close to the two celebrities already knew about their relationship before the news broke out, including Yang Hyun-suk, the CEO of YG Entertainment, and K-pop group Big Bang.Both of them lived in the United States, a factor that is said to have helped acce

The 34th annual Blue Dragon Film Awards on Friday night recognized some of the film industry’s best including the top winner this year, the intensely dramatic “Wish.” Directed by Lee Joon-ik and starring Sol Kyung-gu and Uhm Ji-won, the film is based on the true story of an 8-year-old rape victim known to the public as “Na-young.” Although “Wish” caused controversy when it was released earlier last month because the story revolves around real-life events, the film took home the Best Film award a